Innersole



June 22, 1954 R JR 2,681,515

INNERSOLE Filed Jul 9, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Albert 6. Press, J1:

INVENTOR.

June 22, 1954 A. c. FRESE'JR INNERSOLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 9, 1953 R. #m 4 8 m 8V mm n mm FA patented June 22, 195 4 UNITED STATES ()FFICE INNERSOLE Albert C. Frcse, J12, San Antonio, Tex.

Application July 9, 1953, Serial No. 366,901

7 Claims. 1

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in an innersole and more specifically has reference to an appliance in the form of an innersole of a particular contour which will effectively support the bone structure of the foot and will correct for certain defects or abnormali ties in the same.

The principal objects of this invention are to provide an inner sole construction which will provide a comfortable support for the foot; will afford the correct and proper support for the bone structure of the foot; and will correct or tend to correct and prevent abnormalities of bone positions in the foot.

A further object of the invention is to provide an innersole construction in accordance with the preceding objects which may be formed either as an interchangeable or permanent foot arch support in all types of shoes and which may be used by men, women or children.

A further object of the invention is to provide a foot support structure which shall provide a support for the anterior transverse arch that runs directly across the ball of the foot where the forward end of the metatarsal bones, so-called metatarsal heads, are connected with the rear bones of the toes.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a foot support which will take the pressure off the great or first metatarsal bone and relieve the pain and tend to stop the enlargement of this joint.

A further object of the invention is to provide a foot support which will take the pressure off the fifth metatarsal bone and relieve the pain of a so-called Taylors bunion and tend to prevent the enlargement of the joint.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a foot support which will take the pressure off the two sesamoids that are under the first metatarsal bone, and which are not generally regarded as bones in the foot, but are pebble-like structures.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a foot support construction which will assist the plantar Fascia to cushion the foot and maintain the contour of the arches when under pressure, and will thereby give elasticity to the foot and help prevent break-down of the foot structure.

Yet another object of the invention is to pro-, vide a foot support which will take the pressure off the nerves that pass under the metatarsal heads and thereby tend to stop what is commonly called metatarsal cramps.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a foot support structure which will take the pressure off the ball of the foot, give relief to painful callouses, and to corns on the toes caused by foot friction and pressure.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a foot support construction which will sup port the outer longitudinal arch, from just in front of the rear part at the fifth metatarsal bone, to the first part of the oscalcis or heel bone, and will support the cuboid bone and help to maintain the astragalus bone or ankle bone in place.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a foot support construction which will support the inner longitudinal arch and specifically will support the back part of the first metatarsal, inner cuneiform, scaphoid, ankle and heel bone.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a foot support construction which will hold the heel bone in place and prevent it from moving or rotating in the heel of the shoe; which takes the strain off the Achilles tendon; will cradle the inner longitudinal arch and the outer longitudinal arch and tend to prevent the foot from running over to the inside or outside of the shoe; will lock the heel bone in place and help to stop foot elongations; will cradle and give the central plantar fascia a cushion and also assist in taking strain from it from the oscalcis bone to the five metatarsal heads; will help to maintain the astragalus bone or ankle bone in place and keep it from turning to the inner or outer part of the foot; will hold the foot in the right position in the shoe and tend to give better posture while standing; and will tend to take the strain of pressure off the bottom of the foot thereby assisting in blood circulation.

A still further and very important object of this invention is to provide a support structure for the metatarsal which will provide a balanced supporting action based on a center line arrangement and which will support the five metatarsal bones and to provide an oil center line arrangement for supporting the outer cuneiform bone of the transverse arch and the cuboid bone of the transverse arch.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic view showing the relative position of the bones of the foot, together with the innersole construction of this invention shown in operative position for supporting the foot bones, the position of the foot and innersole in a shoe being indicated in dotted lines therein;

Figure 2 is a perspective bottom view of the innersole construction of Figure l and in accordance with this invention;

Figures 3 and 4 are bottom plan views of the innersole construction of Figure 2 for the left and right feet, respectively; and

Figures 5-8 are Vertical sectional views taken, respectively, substantially upon the planes indicated by the section lines 55, B6, 5-? and 8-8 of Figure 3.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that the niuneral IE! designates generally the improved innersole construction in accordance with this invention. It is to be understood that the same may be formed of any suit able material and of the proper size to fit differ ent sizes and types of shoes. The heel portion l2 of the innersole is adapted to abut against the inside ofthe shoe heel as shown in Figure l. The toe portion of the innersole terminates just forwardly of the shank of the shoe sole, as shown in Figure l, and thus supports the front part of the metatarsal heads of the foot bone structure. At the toe portion the inner sole is provided with a raised portion it which is roughly diamond shaped, the, same extending entirely transverse the front portion of the innersole. The raised portion M has a curved front edge is and a V-shaped rear edgehaving straight edges is and 2! Forwardly of the raised portion at, the innersole has a feathered or tapering front edge 22. The raised portion is may be of different thicknesses depending upon the extent of the lift or raise desired for this portion of the foot. In

addition, the raised portion i i has its topsurface disposed at a uniform elevation between the end portions 26 and 2%. In addition, the beveled, front edge if; is of a greater elevation than the V-shaped rear edge I B, 26 so that the top surface inclines downwardly from the edge i6 towards the rear edge i8, 20.

The function and purpose of the raised portion I4 is to support the so-called anterior transverse arch that runs directly across the ball of the foot where the forward end of the metatarsal bones, so-called metatarsal heads, are connected with the rear bones of the toes. The position of this raised portion with regard to the bone structure of the foot is clearly shown in Figure 1. When properlypositioned within the shoe, or beneath the metatarsal arch of the foot, the raised portion M at the point 2 3 will take the pressure of the foot from the great or first metatarsal bone and relieve the pain and tend to stop the enlargement of this joint of the toe structure. lit the point 2%, the raised portion M will take the pressure of the foot from the fifth metatarsal bone and relieve the pain of a so-called Taylors bunion and tend to prevent the enlargement of this joint.

Still further, at the point 24 the raised portion M will relieve the pressure of the foot from the two sesamoids or pebble-like structures which are located under the first metatarsal bone and are not generally considered as bones in the foot.

The combination of the beveled and curved edge IS with the beveled edges I8 and Eli will help the plantar fascia cushion the foot and maintain the contour of the metatarsal arches under the weight of the foot. This will also give elasticity to the foot and will help to prevent a break-down of this portion of the foot structure. The raised portion along the edge It will relieve the weight of the foot from pressing upon the nerves that pass under the metatarsal heads and will thus tend to obviate what is commonly referred to as metatarsal cramps. Still further, the raised portion It. including the portionsv it, It and 20 and their functioning will relieve the pressure from the ball of the foot, thus supporting relief to pain ful callouses, and to corns on the toes caused by foot friction and pressure.

Disposed about midway between the toe and heel portions of the innersole and respectively upon the outside and inside edges of the innersole are semi-circular raised portions 23 and 33 respectively. These portions will, of course, be of different thicknesses and dimensions, depending upon the need of the raise for the individual foot.

The raise 28 is beveled or feathered upon its curved edge between the points 32, 34 and 36, and between the points 32 and 36 will fit along the narrow edge of the base of the support. It should be observed that the pointSd as will be more readily apparent from Figure 7, is approximately two-thirds of the distance between the outer edge of the support and the center line of the arch which substantially coincides with the longitudinal medial line of the innersole. The highest elevation of the surface of the raised portion 28 lies along the outer edge between the locations 32 and36, the surface sloping downwardly towards the curved inside rim of the raised portion 28.

The function of the raisedportion 2 3 is in general to support the outer longitudinal arch of the foot. The 1ocation'32 starting just in front of the rear part at the fifthmetatarsal bone, the location '36 extending to the first part ofthe oscalcis bone, or heel boneywhile the raised portion between the points 32 and 36 will support the cuboid bone and help to keep the astragalus bone, .or ankle bone, in place. It should be noted that the raise 28 extends only two-thirds of the distancefrom'the outer edge of the innersole to the center line of the inner-- sole because the cuboid bone is a very low arch and does not extend to the center of the transverse arch but only two-thirds of this distance.

The raised portion 28 will also efiect the support of certain other bones in conjunction with the. raise 30, as will bereferred to hereinafter.

The raised portion sois of. greater size than the raised portion 23, as will be readily apparent on inspection of Figures 3 and i in conjunction with the sectional views of Figures 5, '6 and 7.-

The raise 30 may of course be of any desired thickness and size depending uponthe need for this raise in connection with any particular foot structure. This raise is feathered or beveled along the convex or inner edge 38 of the same and is provided with a substantially straight edge upon its outside edge which is adapted to extend along the inside edge of the innersole. This raise has a forward portion 42, a rear portion 44 and distance beyond the center line of the arch. This particular proportion is necessary since the three cuneiform bones, in the transverse arch, are twothirds of the distance of the transverse arch and thus, would have to be beyond the center line in 1 order to give any support to the outer cuneiform bone. The raise 30 has other functions in conjunction with the raise 28, which will now be considered.

The raise 28 on the outerside of the raise 30- of the inner side of the innersole will support the bones of the foot and ankle as follows: They will hold the heel bone of the foot in place, preventing it from moving or turning in the heel of the shoe. This will take the strain of the foot from the Achilles tendon. These raises in conjunction with each other will also cradle the inner longitudinal arch and the outer longitudinal arch and will tend to prevent the foot from running over to the inside or the outside of the shoe. These raises will further cooperate to lock the heel bone in place and assist in stopping foot elongation of the bone structure of the same. These raises will also cooperate to cradle and give the central plantar fascia a cushion and will also help to take the strain from the same, from oscalcis bone to the five metatarsal heads. The raises 28 and 30 will still further cooperate to assist in holding the astragalus bone, or ankle bone, in place and keep it from turning to the inner or the outer part of the foot. Still further, they will hold the foot in the right position in the shoe, tending to give better posture while standing. In addition, they will tend to take the strain and pressure of the foot from the bottom of the same and will thus beneficially effect blood circulation in the foot.

It will be observed that the raise 14 of the innersole construction is based on a center line arrangement of the foot, because in order to support the five metatarsal bones in the foot, it is necessary to start in the center and extend transversely to thefirst and fifth metatarsal bones. Also the metatarsal bones are upwardly curved on their bottom surfaces and the raise requires a slight upward curve to properly fit into the hollow of the foot.

The raises 28 and 30, however, are based on an oft-center line arrangement because in order to support the outer cuneiform bone of the transverse arch, the raise 30 would have to extend one-third of the distance beyond the center line of the arch in order to reach it; and since the cuboid bone is only one-third of the distance of the transverse arch, the raise 28 extends only two-thirds of the distance from the side of the innersole to the center line of the arch.

It will thus be seen that the foot support structure set forth hereinbefore is particularly adapted to conform to the particular bone structure of a foot in order to support the same at the proper places to relieve pressure upon the bottom of the foot; to relieve pressure upon the nerves and blood circulating system of the same; to support the foot comfortably in a proper position for the bones of the same; and finally to offer a support which will stabilize and tend to maintain the foot in proper position in the shoe.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling Within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. An innersole foot supporting and corrective structure comprising a fiat innersole having front and rear portions with the rear portion adapted to fit in the heel portion of a shoe and with the front portion adapted to terminate adjacent the metatarsal heads of a foot, said front portion having a transverse raise adapted to underlie and support the metatarsal bones closely adjacent their heads, said rise having a transversely curving forward edge conforming to the shape of the metatarsal heads and having a rear edge sloping to a feathered extremity which is rearwardly convergent upon the center line of the anterior metatarsal arch.

2. An innersole foot supporting and corrective structure comprising a flat innersole having front and rear portions with the rear portion adapted to fit in the heel portion of a shoe and with the rear portion having a pair of semi-circular raises upon the inner and outer edges of the innersole, the raise upon the inner edge of the innersole underlying and supporting the scaphoid and the three cuneiform bones and terminating at the forward end of the inner cuneiform bone and extending transversely to the outer edge of the outer cuneiform bone.

3. An innersole foot supporting and corrective structure comprising a fiat innersole having front and rear portions with the rear portion adapted to fit in the heel portion of a shoe and with the rear portion having a pair of semicircular raises upon the inner and outer edges of the innersole, the raise upon the outer edge of the innersole underlying and supporting the cuboid bone and extending from the forward edge of the heel bone longitudinally to the forward edge of the cuboid bone and extending transversely to the inner lateral edge of the cuboid bone.

4. An innersole foot supporting and corrective structure comprising a flat innersole: having front and rear portions with the rear portion adapted to fit in the heel portion of a shoe and with the rear portion having a pair of semi-circular raises upon the inner and outer edges of the innersole, the raise upon the inner edge of the innersole underlying and supporting the scaphoid and the three cuneiform bones and terminating at the forward end of the inner cuneiform bone and extending transversely to the outer edge of the outer cuneiform bone, the raise upon the outer edge of the innersole underlying and supporting the cuboid bone and extending from the forward edge of the heel bone longitudinally to the forward edge of the cuboid bone and extending transversely to the inner lateral edge of the cuboid bone.

5. An innersole foot supporting and corrective structure comprising a flat innersole having front and rear portions with the rear portion adapted to fit in the heel portion of a shoe and with the front portion adapted to terminate adjacent the metatarsal heads of a foot, said front portion having a transverse raise adapted to underlie and support the metatarsal bones closely adjacent their heads, said rise having a transversely curving forward edge conforming to the shape of the metatarsal heads and having a rear edge sloping to a feathered extremity which is rearwardly convergent upon the center line of the anterior metatarsal arch, and with the rear portion having a pair of semi-circular raises upon the inner and outer edges of the innersole, the raise upon the inner edge of the innersole underlying and supporting the scaphoid and the three cuneiform bones and terminating at the forward end of the inner cuneiform bone and extending transversely to the outer edge of they outer cuneiform bone, the raise upon the outer edge of the innersole underlying and supporting the cuboid bone and extending from the forward edge of the heel bone longitudinally to the forward edge of the cuboid bone and extending transversely to the inner lateral edge of the cuboid bone.

6. The combination of claim 1 wherein said feathered extremity has a rearmost portion lying beneath the third metatarsal of a foot adjacent the rear head thereof.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said transverse raise has a level, upper surface .for

8. supporting the'bottom of the metatarsals adja centtheir heads.

References Cited in the file 01'' this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

